Merz attacks Trump for 'massive escalation' in Iran war

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has sharply attacked US President Donald Trump for his conduct in the Iran war, saying Trump's actions amounted to a "massive escalation" rather than an attempt to end the fighting.

Speaking at a conference organized by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily, Merz said: "What Trump is doing right now is not de-escalation and an attempt to find a peaceful solution, but a massive escalation with an uncertain outcome."

Merz said he doubted that a change of the leadership in Iran could be achieved.

"Is regime change really the goal?" he asked. "If that is the goal, I don't think they will achieve it. That has mostly gone wrong in the past."

The rhetoric between Washington and Berlin has become more heated in recent days.

on Thursday, US President Trump criticized Germany for failing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil trade route.

Trump said he had found it "inappropriate" that German officials had said in reference to the Iran conflict: "This is not our war."

The remark originally came from Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.